1. The 29th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held recently in Beijing, China
Who are the BASIC?
- The BASIC group was formed as the result of an agreement signed by the four countries on November 28, 2009.
- They are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
- Objectives: The signatory nations have a broadly common position on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and raising the massive funds that are needed to fight climate change.
- The BASIC countries constituted one of the parties in the Copenhagen Accord reached with the US-led grouping; the Accord, was, however, not legally binding.
- In light of the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C released in October last year, the group took note of its findings that highlight the “high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change effects and high resultant costs of adaptation”.
2. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2017 was released recently
- Offences under crime have been categorized outside the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and other special and local laws.
- While the report states that socio-economic causative factors or reasons of crimes have not been captured, the non-legislative parameters for classifying some offences have not been adequately explained.
- This raises questions about the basis for classification.
- There are concerns about the methods of computation and presentation of data.
- While recording rates of recidivism, the report collects State-wise information on the number of juveniles and adults who were arrested earlier but not convicted, and those who were previously convicte
3. Naga Peace Talks
- As the deadline set by the Centre for wrapping up the Naga peace talks is on October 31, 2019, it intends to meet the deadline soon.
- But some key issues remain unresolved with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (I-M).
- In 2018, the official sources had said that the accord being finalised,
- Does not change the boundary of states;
- Provides autonomous Naga territorial councils for Arunachal and Manipur;
- A common cultural body for Nagas across states;
- Specific institutions for state’s development, integration and rehabilitation of non-state Naga militia
- The removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
- The map of Greater Nagalim in the NSCN (IM) vision covers a 1,20,000 sq km sprawl across the Northeast and Myanmar – the area of Nagaland state itself is only 16,527 sq km, a fraction of this vision.